Eurocopter AS 350 B2 ECUREUIL N71HP

Summary

On 9 October 2007 at about 20:30 local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 ECUREUIL registered N71HP was involved in an accident near Columbus, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 October 2007 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Ohio State University (OSU)

Coordinates

40.0689, -82.0675

Aircraft

Eurocopter AS 350 B2 ECUREUIL

Registration

N71HP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI08TA014

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's excessive descent rate and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was a training flight primarily to conduct autorotations. During one of the practice autorotations, the student developed an excessive sink rate which the flight instructor was slow to catch. The helicopter executed a run-on landing into a field with uneven terrain. Post flight examination the morning after this flight revealed substantial damage to the helicopter. The wind was 280 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 21 knots at the time of the accident. The flight instructor's safety recommendation was to conduct "Autorotational Training to a Runway or improved surface.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.